Smaller developers continue to stake their claims and make their plans to build while larger corporate land developers seem to be waiting for the economy to rebound, Cordova said.

“Right now, we’ve seen a small decline in submittals,” Cordova said referring to the number of requests from developers. “A lot of the smaller developers come in with proposals while the big guys seem to be still holding back to see how the market improves.”

Hirsh, a past president of the Southern California Building Association’s Antelope Valley Chapter, said Wednesday’s application to the planning commission seeking approval for a tentative tract map is nothing more than that.

“It’s still going to be a couple of years away,” he said about completing construction of the homes.Engineers modified The Harwood Homes plan after one of its 16 lots did not meet the minimum lot size guidelines adopted by the Acton Town Council, Cordova said. County planners asked the developer to resubmit a tentative tract map and to present it to the town council.

If the redrawn map is approved, the 16 new Harwood Homes will have a 93510 zip code and, with it, at least 38 neighboring homes left vacant due to foreclosure, according to figures posted by the Web site www.foreclosure.com.

In addition, the owners of at least 21 other homes near the proposed site are on the verge of foreclosure.